A head teacher who received £600,000 in illegal bonuses from a state comprehensive school has quit rather than face a disciplinary hearing.

Staff and parents at Copland Community School in Wembley, North London, were told yesterday that Sir Alan Davies had resigned. He was due to appear before a disciplinary panel this week.

An interim board, which has run the school since its governing body was removed over the scandal, also announced that it had sacked the deputy head, Dr Richard Evans, for “gross misconduct in relation to serious financial irregularities”. He did not attend the hearing.

The board said the former head of human resources at the school, Michelle Bishop, has also quit. The school’s bursar, Columbus Odukoro, is due to appear before a disciplinary panel next month.

Sir Alan had been suspended since May after details emerged of payments totalling £1.6 million made to him and the three other members of his management team over a seven-year period.

In a single year Sir Alan was paid £129,000 to act as “project manager” for a development at the school site, £80,000 in bonuses and £66,500 for additional duties including curriculum responsibilities. These were in addition to his salary of £103,000.

The interim board said in a statement: “The school’s head teacher, Sir Alan Davis was ... asked to appear before a disciplinary panel this week. However, he formally resigned from his position on October 14. The former head of human resources at the school, Michelle Bishop, also resigned following her suspension in August this year.

“It is not possible to take disciplinary action leading to dismissal against staff once they have resigned. The school is taking legal advice on further action to be taken.”

Hank Roberts, a teacher at the school who turned whistleblower to report the bonuses, called for criminal proceedings against Sir Alan and urged the Government to investigate how many state schools were paying bonuses to heads and senior managers.

Mr Roberts said: “Serious action should be taken across the country to make sure this is not being done elsewhere.”

Schools are entitled to make special payments to heads and staff if they take on additional responsibilities, but the Government says that these should be justified and appropriate and that retrospective bonuses not linked to the terms and conditions under which staff are paid are unlawful.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• UK regional accents thrive against the odds
• ‘Scarecrow’ wind farms put rare birds to flight
• What an anti-climax: G-spot is a myth